Book support or holder.



R. E. JONES.

BOOK SUPPORT OR HOLDER.

I APPLICATION FILED APEJZ, 1912. 1,049,101, Patented D60.31,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAEH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

R. E. JONES. BOOK SUPPORT 0R HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12, 1912.

1,049,101 Patented Dec.31,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

RAPH LID-,WASHINGTON D c UNITED srarns PATENT ermine.

RALPH E. JONES, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

BOOK SUPPORT 0R HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH E. JoNEs, lieutenant, United States Army, a citizen of the United States, at present stationed at Fort McPherson, Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book Supports or Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to book holders or supports, and has for its purpose to provide a device of that character wherein a book may be supported in any desired position and held open with the pages thereof in the natural position for reading and wherein the page-holding means will offer no obstruct-ion to the print.

The invention further contemplates an arrangement wherein either side of the open book has its respective pages held by an independent tensioning device to the end that one may be moved without interference to the other; and wherein a common means is provided for removing simultaneously both of the tensioning devices if desired.

With these and other objects in view the invention consist-s in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views :Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the device in applied position; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the book holder per 86, Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the adjustable support; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 3; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the shelf-supporting bar; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the shelf; the page-retaining arms; and their associated parts.

Referring to the construction in detail, 1 designates a bar suitably secured to a desk, table or other article A, and on which is adjustably mounted a laterally disposed arm 2 through the medium of a plate 3 which is twisted and slidably mounted on said bar 1. The bar 1 has perforations at suitable intervals to receive the pin 3* that passes through and support-s said plate 8. The arm 2 is slidably mounted between the projecting ends of the plate 3, for which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. April 12, 1912.

Patented Dec. 31,1912.

Serial No. 690,455.

purpose said ends are notched (see Figs. 3 and 3 On one end of the arm 2 is secured a bracket 4 adapted to support the book-holder per 86.

he book-holder comprises a shelf 5 provided with an angularly disposed flange 6 and a frame against which the book cover rests, as indicated in Fig. 1.. Said frame consists of two lateral strips 7 and 8 connected with the shelf 5 by a pair of vertically disposed strips 9, and a pair of similar and intermediate strips 10. Said frame has secured thereto, in any suitable manner, a bar 11 which is supported by the bracket 4 from the arm 2, and in order that the book may be turned to any angular position desired, said bar 11 has the lower portion thereof reduced and pivotally mounted within apertures provided in said bracket (see Fig. 4).

A pair of retaining members, or tensioning devices 12 are provided whose purpose is to engage with and hold the pages of the open book in such manner that the matter thereon may be readily seen, and to this end, said members 12 have their free ends 13 angularly disposed so that the minimum portions thereof engage with the book pages, and thus offer no obstruction to the view. The arms 12 are each independently and pivotally mounted on the shelf 5, through the medium of brackets 14, which, for this purpose, have lugs 15 to receive pivot pins 17 that have wound thereon the ends 16 of said arms, as will be further explained. The two arms 12 are loosely connected to permit of respective independent movement through the medium of a bar 18, whose ends pass through turns 21 of said arms in such manner that sufiicient play is permitted, therebetween, to allow of either arm 12 being moved on its pivot 17 without interfering with the other arm.

The tensioning device for the arms 12 consists of a spring 20 whose respective ends are connected with the bar 18, and a member 19, which is secured to and projects downwardly from the shelf 5. Through the provision of the anchored spring 20, it will be clear that uniform tension is exerted upon the arms 12 for holding said arms with sufiicient frictional engagement with the lower margins of the book pages to hold the same in smooth open posit-ion.

A handle 22 is loosely connected at 24 to the bar 18, whereby said bar may be moved bodily against the tension of the spring 20 for removing the arms 12 simultaneously from engaging position, and said loose connections 24-. permit of slight independent movement of the arms 12, for obvious reasons. hen both arms 12 are moved fully back by the handle 22, said arms contact with the upturned ends 146 of the brackets 14:, which act in the capacity of stops, and in this opened position said arms are held by the tensioning spring 20, as indicated in Fig. 2.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is 1. In a book holder, the combination of a suitable support; a book supporting shelf mounted thereon; brackets mounted on said shelf and having projecting ends; a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said brackets and adapted to hold open the pages of the book; a member connecting said arms; a handle connected with said member for removing the arms from engaging position; said handle and arms formed from a single strand of wire; and a spring tension ing device for said arms connected with said member; said arms adapted to engage with the projecting ends of said brackets when in fully open position, and said spring tensioning device adapted to hold said arms in such position, substantially as described.

2. In a book holder, the combination of a suitable support; a book supporting shelf mounted thereon; a pair of brackets mounted on said shelf and having upwardly turned projecting ends; a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said brackets and adapted to hold open the pages of the book; a bar loosely connecting said arms; a handle mounted on said bar for removing said arms from engaging position; and a spring tensioning device for said arms connected with said bar, said arms adapted to engage with the upturned projecting ends of said brackets when in fully open position; and said spring tensioning device adapted to hold said arms in such position, substan tially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH E. JONES.

/Vitnesses S. Cmrrrs, GEO. STEUNENBERG.

Conies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

